Liturgy Alive, Models of Celebrations

Introduction

God the Creator. God the Maker. God the Poet. When with him you look at his work, you have to say: yes, it is good, it is beautiful, it is imaginative, it is inventive, and it is creative. In Greek, a poet is literally a "maker," someone who can really make things you cannot but admire. This opening chapter of the Book of Genesis is a poem that tries to tell that God created everything, The number of days does not matter, except to say that he made everything and that he rested on the Seventh day, the Shabbat, with the implied lesson that his people too would have to rest on the day of the Lord.

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
in the beginning there was the word
that you spoke
and everything was created
Fill us with a sense of admiration
for all the beautiful things you have made.
May we say with you:
"yes it is good" and all very beautiful.
As people who are part of it,
may we respect your creation
and give you all thanks and praise,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Liturgy of the Word

First Reading: Gen 1:1-19

In the beginning, when God began to create the heavens and the earth, the earth had no form and was void; darkness was over the deep and the Spirit of God hovered over the waters.

God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. God saw that the light was good and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light 'Day' and the darkness 'Night'. There was evening and there was morning: the first day.
God said, "Let there be a firm ceiling between the waters and let it separate waters from waters." So God made the ceiling and separated the waters below it from the waters above it. And so it was. God called the firm ceiling 'Sky'. There was evening and there was morning: the second day.

God said, "Let the waters below the sky be gathered together in one place and let dry land appear." And so it was. God called the dry land 'Earth', and the waters gathered together he called 'Seas'. God saw that it was good.

God said, "Let the earth produce vegetation, seed-bearing plants, fruittrees bearing fruit with seed, each according to its kind, upon the earth." And so it was. The earth produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kind and trees producing fruit which has seed, according to their kind. God saw that it was good. There was evening and there was morning: the third day.

God said, "Let there be lights in the ceiling of the sky to separate day from night and to serve as signs for the seasons, days and years; and let these lights in the sky shine above the earth." And so it was. God therefore made two great lights, the greater light to govern the day and the smaller light to govern the night; and God made the stars as well. God placed them in the ceiling of the sky to give light on the earth and to separate the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good. There was evening and there was morning: the fourth day.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 104:1-2, 5-6, 10, 12, 24, 35

R. May the Lord be glad in his works.

Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
You are clothed with majesty and glory,
robed in light as with a cloak.
R. May the Lord be glad in his works.

You fixed the earth upon its foundation,
not to be moved forever;
With the ocean, as with a garment, you covered it;
above the mountains the waters stood.
R. May the Lord be glad in his works.

You send forth springs into the watercourses
that wind among the mountains. Beside them the birds of heaven dwell;
from among the branches they send forth their song.
R. May the Lord be glad in his works.

How manifold are your works, O LORD!
In wisdom you have wrought them all—
the earth is full of your creatures;
Bless the LORD, O my soul! Alleluia.
R. May the Lord be glad in his works.

Gospel Reading: Mk 6:53-56

Having crossed the lake, Jesus and his disciples came ashore at Gennesaret where they tied up the boat. As soon as they landed, people recognized Jesus and ran to spread the news throughout the countryside. Wherever he was they brought to him the sick lying on their mats. And wherever he went, to villages, towns or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplace and begged him to let them touch just the fringe of his cloak. And all who touched him were cured.

Commentary

AGAIN and again we hear that no matter where Jesus is found, the sick are brought to him and people run with the news of the hope of healing, dignity, acceptance for those ill and the whole community. They beg, for his touch, to touch the fringe of his clothes and they're healed if they get that close. And this is Gennesaret where they had told him to leave before! Obviously they recognize him because the man Jesus told to stay and bring hope by his story and what Jesus had done for him, now bears unbounded fruit in his neighborhood. Now the lake that drowned the pigs, brings Jesus back and wholeness, right living (those in their right mind) now come together-the gift shared. Do we live, when we are healed and forgiven and reaccepted into God's family so that others come to recognize Jesus in our words, our lives changed and our sharing of God's goodness to us with others? This is the only gratitude God wants and that we can actually practice. Help us, O Lord of all life, help us.

General Intercessions

- That the Church in its leaders and members may grow in love of nature and its Creator, admire more the work of God's hands, and give him thanks and praise by respecting its harmony and letting it serve our happiness, we pray:

- That governments make great efforts to make people stop the destruction or plunder of natural resources, like forests that are the pride and riches of many nations in the third world, for paying national debts or private gain, we pray:

- That scientists and technologists may find ways to make deserts bloom again, to restore to the atmosphere the air which we can breathe, and to make our world a better place to live in, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Creative God,
you gave us the wheat to bear grains
and the vine to give us grapes,
and then you let us transform them
into tasty food and a drink of joy.
Let your Spirit sweep over them
and transform them into our food
and drink for life,
your Son Jesus Christ.
Let him also sweep over us
to cooperate with you
to make this earth productive and fertile.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

God, our maker,
let us your people share a little bit
in your imagination and originality,
that we may create one another anew
in our mutual understanding
and our spirit of serving love,
that our earth may be a better place to live in
and a sign and token
of your home of unending love.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Blessing

What we are, our uniqueness and our power to love come from God. May God give us eyes to admire him and a voice to thank him. May God bless you all, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.